Medication disposal apparatus and methods of manufacture and use

ABSTRACT

A medication disposal apparatus and method of use with multiple stages of conversion operable to render a controlled substance useless.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The following description relates to disposal and deactivation ofmedication and, in particular, a medication disposal apparatus includinga collection chamber having a first converter and a reservoir having asecond converter, and methods of manufacture and use.

2. Description of Related Art

Every year, millions of prescribed medications go unused. These unusedmedications include opioids for pain control. Opioids are substancesthat act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. As such,opioids are highly addictive and often result in fatal overdoses. Atpresent, there is a high rate of opioid abuse among teenagers, which hasincreased the importance of properly disposing of unused medication.

Conventional medical disposal methods and tools are rudimentary andsuffer from various deficiencies. Many people flush unused medicationdown a toilet, which is undesirable because such releases toxins intoour environment and water supply. Conventional disposal tools do notfully destroy the unused medication, thereby allowing people to regainaccess to the unused medication.

Accordingly, there exists a need for medication disposal apparatus and amethod of disposing of a medication that does not suffer from theaforementioned deficiencies, that is operable to safely dispose ofmedication, and is efficient, economical, and easy to manufacture andutilize.

SUMMARY

The present inventive concept provides a medication disposal apparatusand method of use with multiple stages of conversion via a grinder and adeactivator.

The aforementioned may be achieved in one aspect of the presentinventive concept by providing a medication disposal apparatus withdeactivator. The apparatus may include a collection chamber operable toreceive a medication having an active agent. The medication may be atablet or a pill containing a controlled substance. The collectionchamber may include a receiver having a one-way opening. The one-wayopening may be operable to receive the medication in the collectionchamber and to impede the medication from exiting the collection chamberthrough the receiver.

The collection chamber may include a first converter operable to (i)receive the medication and/or (ii) convert the medication into aplurality of particles. The first converter may be housed in thecollection chamber and/or may receive the medication from the collectionchamber. The collection chamber may include a funnel operable to directthe medication toward the first converter. The first converter may be agrinder. The grinder may be a plurality of rollers operable to convertthe medication into the plurality of particles. The first converter mayinclude a motor powered by a power source.

The apparatus may include a reservoir. The reservoir may be fastened tothe collection chamber. The apparatus may include a second converter.The second converter may be housed in the reservoir. The secondconverter may be operable to (i) receive the plurality of particles fromthe first converter, and/or (ii) deactivate the active agent. The secondconverter may be a fluid operable to deactivate the active agent. Thefluid may be a chemical digestion solution containing activated charcoaloperable to deactivate the active agent. The reservoir may include aspill resistant cover to prevent the plurality of particles and/or thefluid from entering the collection chamber from the reservoir.

The apparatus may include a fastener operable to removably secure thereservoir to the collection chamber. The fastener may include adisconnect switch operable to disconnect power to the motor from thepower source. The disconnect switch may disconnect the power to themotor from the power source if the collection chamber is disconnectedfrom the reservoir.

The aforementioned may be achieved in an aspect of the present inventiveconcept by providing a method of disposing the medication using themedication disposal apparatus with the deactivator. The method mayinclude the step of converting, via the first converter, the medicationinto a plurality of particles. The medication may have an active agent.The first converter may be housed in the collection chamber. The methodmay include the step of deactivating, via the second converter, theactive agent and yielding a plurality of deactivated particles. Thesecond converter may be housed in the reservoir. The method may includethe step of storing, via the reservoir, the plurality of deactivatedparticles.

The aforementioned may be achieved in an aspect of the present inventiveconcept by providing a method of manufacturing the medication disposalapparatus. The method may include the step of forming the collectionchamber having the first converter. The first converter may be operableto (i) receive the medication from the collection chamber, and/or (ii)convert the medication into the plurality of particles. The method mayinclude the step of forming the reservoir having the second converter.The second converter may be operable to (i) receive the plurality ofparticles from the first converter, and/or (ii) deactivate the activeagent to yield the plurality of deactivated particles. The method mayinclude the step of securing the reservoir to the collection chamber.The reservoir may be operable to store the plurality of deactivatedparticles.

The foregoing is intended to be illustrative and is not meant in alimiting sense. Many features of the embodiments may be employed with orwithout reference to other features of any of the embodiments.Additional aspects, advantages, and/or utilities of the presentinventive concept will be set forth in part in the description thatfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the present inventive concept.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description,will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appendeddrawings. For the purpose of illustration, there is shown in thedrawings certain embodiments of the present disclosure. It should beunderstood, however, that the present inventive concept is not limitedto the precise embodiments and features shown. The accompanyingdrawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification, illustrate an embodiment of apparatuses consistent withthe present inventive concept and, together with the description, serveto explain advantages and principles consistent with the presentinventive concept.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a top perspective view of a medicaldisposal apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exploded, top perspective view ofthe medical disposal apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a top perspective view of anothermedication disposal apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the present inventive concept is not limitedin its application to the details of construction and to the embodimentsof the components set forth in the following description or illustratedin the drawings. The figures and written description are provided toteach any person skilled in the art to make and use the inventions forwhich patent protection is sought. The present inventive concept iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out invarious ways. Persons of skill in the art will appreciate that thedevelopment of an actual commercial embodiment incorporating aspects ofthe present inventive concept will require numerousimplementations—specific decisions to achieve the developer's ultimategoal for the commercial embodiment. While these efforts may be complexand time-consuming, these efforts, nevertheless, would be a routineundertaking for those of skill in the art of having the benefit of thisdisclosure.

I. Terminology

The phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. For example, the useof a singular term, such as, “a” is not intended as limiting of thenumber of items. Also, the use of relational terms such as, but notlimited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,”“up,” and “side,” are used in the description for clarity in specificreference to the figures and are not intended to limit the scope of thepresent inventive concept or the appended claims. Further, it should beunderstood that any one of the features of the present inventive conceptmay be used separately or in combination with other features. Othersystems, methods, features, and advantages of the present inventiveconcept will be, or become, apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the figures and the detailed description. It is intendedthat all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages beincluded within this description, be within the scope of the presentinventive concept, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

Further, any term of degree such as, but not limited to,“substantially,” as used in the description and the appended claims,should be understood to include an exact, or a similar, but not exactconfiguration. For example, “a substantially planar surface” meanshaving an exact planar surface or a similar, but not exact planarsurface. Similarly, the terms “about” or “approximately,” as used in thedescription and the appended claims, should be understood to include therecited values or a value that is three times greater or one third ofthe recited values. For example, about 3 mm includes all values from 1mm to 9 mm, and approximately 50 degrees includes all values from 16.6degrees to 150 degrees.

Further, as the present inventive concept is susceptible to embodimentsof many different forms, it is intended that the present disclosure beconsidered as an example of the principles of the present inventiveconcept and not intended to limit the present inventive concept to thespecific embodiments shown and described. Any one of the features of thepresent inventive concept may be used separately or in combination withany other feature. References to the terms “embodiment,” “embodiments,”and/or the like in the description mean that the feature and/or featuresbeing referred to are included in, at least, one aspect of thedescription. Separate references to the terms “embodiment,”“embodiments,” and/or the like in the description do not necessarilyrefer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unlessso stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art from the description. For example, a feature, structure,process, step, action, or the like described in one embodiment may alsobe included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus,the present inventive concept may include a variety of combinationsand/or integrations of the embodiments described herein. Additionally,all aspects of the present disclosure, as described herein, are notessential for its practice. Likewise, other systems, methods, features,and advantages of the present inventive concept will be, or become,apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the figuresand the description. It is intended that all such additional systems,methods, features, and advantages be included within this description,be within the scope of the present inventive concept, and be encompassedby the claims.

Lastly, the terms “or” and “and/or,” as used herein, are to beinterpreted as inclusive or meaning any one or any combination.Therefore, “A, B or C” or “A, B and/or C” mean any of the following:“A,” “B,” “C”; “A and B”; “A and C”; “B and C”; “A, B and C.” Anexception to this definition will occur only when a combination ofelements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutuallyexclusive.

II. General Architecture

Turning to FIGS. 1-2, a medication disposal apparatus 100 isillustrated. The apparatus 100 is operable to receive and dispose of amedication 200 having an active agent and is operable to prevent a userfrom accessing and/or using the medication 200 during disposal orsubsequent thereto. In an example embodiment, the medication 200 can bea tablet or a pill containing a controlled substance, e.g. prescriptionmedication, although the medication 200 can be a solid, a liquid, or anencapsulated liquid, without deviating from the scope of the presentinventive concept.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a top perspective view of the apparatus100. The apparatus 100 includes a collection chamber 102 coupled to areservoir 104 via a fastener 108, e.g. screws, rivets, snap tabs, or thelike. It is foreseen that the collection chamber 102 and the reservoir104 can be manufactured as one piece or the collection chamber 102 canbe coupled to the reservoir 104 by other means such as adhesion orinterlocking tabs, without deviating from the scope of the presentinventive concept. The collection chamber 102 is cylindrically shaped,although it is foreseen that the collection chamber 102 can be any shapesuch as, bulbous, hourglass, or funnel, without deviating from the scopeof the present inventive concept. In the illustrated embodiment, thecollection chamber 102 and the reservoir 104 are manufactured using atransparent material, although it is foreseen that the collectionchamber 102 and the reservoir 104 can be translucent, opaque, or anyshade of transparency without deviating from the scope of the presentinventive concept.

The collection chamber 102 is operable to receive the medication 200through a receiver 106 positioned at a top of the collection chamber102. The receiver 106 is operable to impede the medication 200 fromexiting the collection chamber 102 via a one-way opening 202, e.g. aspill proof cover, spill proof lid, or a one-way valve, although it isforeseen that the receiver 106 can be an opening or aperture, withoutdeviating from the scope of the present inventive concept. In anexemplary embodiment, the one-way opening 202 is a one-way valve 204with an opening sized to receive the medication 200 vertically. An endof the one-way valve 204 extending into the collection chamber 102 issized to allow the medication 200 to pass through vertically, butimpedes the medication 200 from entering the one-way valve 204 frominside the collection chamber 102. Furthermore, the end of the one-wayvalve 204 is spaced away from the top of the receiver 106 such that itbecomes difficult for the user to position the medication 200 at thecorrect position and orientation to be received by the end of theone-way valve 204. In other words, if the apparatus 100 is turnedupside-down or shaken in attempt to retrieve the medication 200 from thecollection chamber 102, the likelihood of the medication 200 arriving atthe end of the one-way valve 204 is low. In another embodiment, theone-way opening 202 is an elastic flap covering an opening sized toreceive the medication 200 vertically, wherein the elastic flap isbiased closed unless the flap receives an external force to open theflap. In an additional embodiment, the one-way opening 202 is an openingleading to a plurality of overlapping angled ledges, such that themedication 200 is pulled down the ledges via gravity and the angle ofthe ledges, but is impeded from exiting the collection chamber 102 whenturned upside-down as the medication 200 would likely be caught by oneof the ledges.

The collection chamber 102 houses a first converter 210 positioned at abottom of the collection chamber 102 and operable to receive themedication 200 from the collection chamber 102 and to convert themedication 200 into a plurality of particles e.g. sand, grounds, dust,or the like. In the exemplary embodiment, the first converter 210 isentirely housed in the collection chamber 102, however it is foreseenthat the first converter 210 can extend between the collection chamber102 and the reservoir 104 or extend into the reservoir 104, withoutdeviating from the scope of the present inventive concept. Thecollection chamber 102 can also include a funnel 208 operable to directthe medication 200 to the first converter 210 from the one-way opening202. The funnel 208 can be a separate piece or the collection chamber102 and the funnel 208 can be molded as one piece. In the illustratedembodiment, the funnel 208 is transparent, although it is foreseen thatthe funnel 208 can be translucent, opaque, or any shade of transparencywithout deviating from the scope of the present inventive concept.

In the exemplary embodiment, the first converter 210 is grinder 210having a plurality of rollers operable to convert the medication 200into the plurality of particles by way of grinding or crushing themedication 200. In the exemplary embodiment, the plurality of rollersincludes a first roller 218 and a second roller 220 operable to rotatetowards each other such that the medication 200 is pulled between thefirst roller 218 and the second roller 220 during use, although it isforeseen that the plurality of rollers can include more than two rollerswithout deviating from the scope of the present inventive concept. Eachof the plurality of rollers can include a textured surface, bumps, orblades providing alternative gripping and/or crushing capabilities tothe grinder 210. The collection chamber 102 includes a motor 214 poweredby a power source 216, wherein the motor 214 is operable to rotate eachof the plurality of rollers. In an example embodiment, the motor 214 caninclude a sensor in the collection chamber 102 operable to turn themotor 214 on when the medication 200 is sensed inside the collectionchamber 102. The motor 214 can turn off after a fixed amount of time orwhen the medication 200 is no longer sensed in the collection chamber102. In another embodiment, the motor 214 can be toggled on or off by aswitch accessible to the user. In an alternative embodiment, the firstconverter 210 is a plurality of blades, wherein each of the blades arepowered by the motor 214 and move translationally towards or away fromeach other such that the medication 200 is caught between two or moreblades and is cut into the plurality of particles. In anotheralternative embodiment, the first converter 210 includes a perforatedplate or screen and a block, wherein the block is held above theperforated plate until the medication 200 is received by the perforatedplate. The block is then moved by the motor 214 downward to crush themedication 200 into a plurality of particles and push the plurality ofparticles through the perforated plate. The perforated plate can includesharpened edges providing a surface requiring a low force to break orcut the medication 200.

The plurality of particles is received, deactivated, and stored by thereservoir 104. The reservoir 104 is cylindrical similarly to thecollection chamber 102, creating a generally smooth and uniform surfacebetween the reservoir 104 and the collection chamber 102. As such, thereservoir 104 coupled with the collection chamber 102 is self-containedand compact. It is foreseen that the reservoir 104 can be any othershape such as bulbous, hourglass, or funnel, and/or can have a differentsize, diameter, or shape from the collection chamber 102 withoutdeviating from the scope of the present inventive concept. The pluralityof particles is received by the reservoir 104 through a reservoiropening 228 in the reservoir 104. The reservoir 104 includes a secondconverter 222 operable to deactivate the active agent in each of theplurality of particles and yield a plurality of deactivated particles.In the exemplary embodiment, the second converter 222 is a fluid 224operable to deactivate the active agent. It is foreseen, that the secondconverter 222 may include the fluid 224 and/or one or more other fluidsand/or one or more solids without deviating from the scope of thepresent inventive concept. For instance, the second converter 222 may bea chemical digestion solution, which may include activated charcoal, amolecular adsorption solution, a solid, e.g., activated charcoal, sand,kitty litter, silica gel, a clay-based absorbent, and/or other likeliquid(s) and/or solid(s), which are capable of deactivating the activeagent in each of the plurality of particles and yield the plurality ofdeactivated particles. The reservoir 104 is operable to store theplurality of deactivated particles. The reservoir 104 can include aspill resistant cover by which to prevent the second converter 222and/or the plurality of deactivated particles from entering thecollection chamber 102 from the reservoir 104.

The first converter 210 and the second converter 222 cooperate toconvert the medication 200 into a state unusable and undesirable to theuser. Indeed, after the first conversion, the plurality of particlescontains the active agent and can still be used by the user.Furthermore, without the first converter 210, the second converter 222may not be able to fully or quickly deactivate the medication 200 as thesecond converter 222 would need to penetrate an entirety of themedication 200 for deactivation. The user can remove the medication 200from the second converter 222 and may be able to use a portion of themedication 200 that was not deactivated. By providing the plurality ofparticles from the first converter 210 to the second converter 222, thesecond converter 222 can quickly deactivate each of the plurality ofparticles simultaneously. Thus, the first converter 210 and the secondconverter 222 efficiently and effectively provide for complete disposaland deactivation of the medication 200.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exploded, top perspective view ofthe apparatus 100. In the exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 100includes a disconnect switch 226 at the fastener 108 coupling thecollection chamber 102 to the reservoir 104. The disconnect switch 226is operable to disconnect the power to the motor 214 from the powersource 216 if the collection chamber 102 is disconnected from thereservoir 104 and render the grinder 210 unusable. The disconnect switch226 prevents the user from singularly using the first converter 210without the second converter 222 to obtain the plurality of particleswith the active agent still present in each of the plurality ofparticles. In other words, if the collection chamber 102 is uncoupledfrom the reservoir 104, then the entire apparatus 100 is renderedunusable. Thus, the disconnect switch 226 advantageously preventstampering of the apparatus 100 and/or the medication 200 so that, forinstance, the user cannot utilize the first converter 210 to grindmedication, e.g., for snorting or injection, and misuse the apparatus100. In the exemplary embodiment, the disconnect switch 226 is a circuithaving a first portion 230 in the collection chamber 102 and a secondportion 232 in the reservoir 104. The first portion 230 and the secondportion 232 are positioned such that when the collection chamber 102 andthe reservoir 104 are coupled, the first portion 230 and the secondportion 232 are in contact with each other, completing the circuit andallowing the power from the power source 216 to power the motor 214. Inanother embodiment, the disconnect switch 226 utilizes a sensor in thecollection chamber 102 to sense movement between the collection chamber102 and the reservoir 104 and to disconnect the power source 216 if themovement indicates that the reservoir 104 has been removed from thecollection chamber 102. The disconnect switch 226 prevents the user fromusing the first converter 210 separately from the second converter 222,thus, advantageously providing security to the apparatus 100.

Turning to FIG. 3, another medication disposal apparatus 300 isillustrated. The apparatus 300 generally includes a collection chamber302 coupled to a reservoir 304 via a fastener 308, e.g. screws, rivets,snap tabs, or the like. It is foreseen that the collection chamber 302and the reservoir 304 can be manufactured as one piece or the collectionchamber 302 can be coupled to the reservoir 304 by other means such asadhesion or interlocking tabs, without deviating from the scope of thepresent inventive concept. The collection chamber 302 is operable toreceive the medication 200 through a receiver 306 positioned at a top ofthe collection chamber 302. The collection chamber 302 and the reservoir304 are cylindrically shaped, although it is foreseen that thecollection chamber 302 and/or the reservoir 304 can be any shape suchas, bulbous, hourglass, or funnel, without deviating from the scope ofthe present inventive concept. The receiver 306 is operable to impedethe medication 200 from exiting the collection chamber 302. In theillustrated embodiment, the collection chamber 302 and the reservoir 304are opaque, thereby preventing the user from knowing if the medication200 is inside the collection chamber 302 or the reservoir 304 and/orhindering retrieval of the medication 200 by the user from inside thecollection chamber 302. As such, the user is discouraged from tamperingor attempting to open the device 300 to obtain the medication 200.Further, retrieval of the medication 200 from inside the collectionchamber 302 is hindered, as the user cannot see where to position ormove the medication 200 to the receiver 306 and thus deters the userfrom retrieving the medication 200 from the collection chamber 302. Theapparatus 300 includes generally the same internal components as theinternal components of apparatus 100, described above.

The apparatus 100, 300 is manufactured by forming the collection chamber102, 302 and the reservoir 104, 304 from plastic, e.g. injectionmolding, or metal, e.g. machining. The funnel 208 can be formed with thecollection chamber 102, 302 or formed separately and installed into thecollection chamber 102, 302. The first converter 210 and the secondconverter 222 are installed into the collection chamber 102, 302 and thereservoir 104, 304, respectively. The motor 214 and power source 216 arealso installed into the collection chamber 102, 302. The reservoir 104,304 is then secured to the collection chamber 102, 302 and thedisconnect switch 226 is installed to prevent opening of the completedapparatus 100, 300.

During use, the medication 200 is deposited, by the user, into theone-way opening 202 and received by the collection chamber 102, 302. Themedication 200 is directed to the first converter 210, as indicated bythe arrows shown in FIG. 1, and converted, by the first converter 210,into the plurality of particles. The plurality of particles is thenreceived, by the reservoir 104, 304, and the active agent in each of theplurality of particles is deactivated, by the second converter 222,yielding the plurality of deactivated particles. The plurality ofdeactivated particles is stored in the reservoir 104, 304. If thecollection chamber 102, 302 is uncoupled or separated from the reservoir104, 304, then the disconnect 226 disconnects power to the firstconverter 210 and renders the first converter 210 unusable.

One of skill in the art will recognize that the described examples arenot limited to any particular size. Further, one of skill in the artwill recognize that the components of the apparatus 100 are not limitedto any type of material. In a preferred example, the apparatus 100 isformed of one or more plastics, but may be formed of a variety ofdifferent materials including metal or the like or rubber or the like,or a combination thereof. One skilled in the art will recognize thatdifferent diameters, types, and thicknesses of preferred materials canbe utilized when taking into consideration design and stabilityconsiderations. A number of manufacturing techniques may be used such asthe molding, machining, and/or casting one or more components of thefoot clip. An example process of manufacturing the apparatus 100includes use of an injection molding process or other like manufacturingmeans.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiments described above without departing from the broadinventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that the presentinvention disclosed herein is not limited to the particular embodimentsdisclosed, and is intended to cover modifications within the spirit andscope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A medication disposal apparatus comprising: acollection chamber operable to receive a medication having an activeagent; a first converter housed in the collection chamber, the firstconverter operable to (i) receive the medication from the collectionchamber, and (ii) convert the medication into a plurality of particles;a reservoir fastened to the collection chamber; and a second converterhoused in the reservoir, the second converter operable to (i) receivethe plurality of particles from the first converter, and (ii) deactivatethe active agent.
 2. The medication disposal apparatus of claim 1,wherein, the medication is a tablet or a pill containing a controlledsubstance.
 3. The medication disposal apparatus of claim 1, wherein, thecollection chamber includes a receiver having a one-way opening operableto receive the medication in the collection chamber and to impede themedication from exiting the collection chamber through the receiver. 4.The medication disposal apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the collectionchamber includes a funnel operable to direct the medication toward thefirst converter.
 5. The medication disposal apparatus of claim 1,wherein, the first converter is a grinder having a plurality of rollersoperable to convert the medication into the plurality of particles. 6.The medication disposal apparatus of claim 1, further comprising, afastener operable to removably secure the reservoir to the collectionchamber.
 7. The medication disposal apparatus of claim 6, wherein, thefirst converter includes a motor powered by a power source, and thefastener includes a disconnect switch operable to disconnect power tothe motor from the power source if the collection chamber isdisconnected from the reservoir.
 8. The medication disposal apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein, the second converter is a fluid operable to deactivatethe active agent.
 9. The medication disposal apparatus of claim 8,wherein, the fluid is a chemical digestion solution containing activatedcharcoal operable to deactivate the active agent.
 10. The medicationdisposal apparatus of claim 8, wherein, the reservoir includes a spillresistant cover to prevent the plurality of particles and the fluid fromentering the collection chamber from the reservoir.